A hardware-in-the-loop and virtual reality test environment for steer-by-wire system evaluations

A high precision, cost effective, experimental hardware-in-the-loop steer-by-wire test environment is presented and discussed to support engineering and psychology studies. In this project, a suite of chassis models and nonlinear control algorithms are developed and validated, as well as various human-machine interface design issues investigated. This paper provides an overview of the real time steering simulator which has been created to facilitate the comparison and evaluation of vehicle and steering system control strategies in a repeatable manner. The insertion of novel driver input devices, with adjustable force feedback, permits the study of the human-vehicle interface. The remote operation and/or supervision of semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicles can be studied using a human-in-the-loop system to provide insight into the relative importance to the driver of various vehicle parameters.